History of NASIG's Vision and Planning
Peter Picerno
Throughout its history NASIG has been concerned with its function as an organization. This is evidenced by discussions and activities which took place at board meetings and within the organization. As early as 1987 there were discussions about continuing education programs as well as the development and governance of NASIG. Members were polled about the future directions and a survey which was distributed in the fall of that year was concerned with the organization's governance as well as its mission in meeting its members needs.
A statement of NASIG's purpose was adopted in 1988 and in 1990 the board conducted a special meeting with group discussions which focused the organization's history, its current situation, its internal strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and concerns. The discussion also tried to identify possible areas of concern in the serials world to address in the future. This was followed, in 1991, by a strategic planning session which included a needs assessment survey and which was to result in a five-year plan for the organization. A Strategic Planning Task Force was formed and work on a survey was begun in 1992. The survey yielded a 75% response rate and an executive summary of the survey was made to the board in February, 1993.
As a result of the strategic planning process a working group was formed to draft a vision statement for NASIG which was presented in 1994. In this same year a Strategic Plan Task Force was appointed as well as groups of 3 to 4 members to work on each of the six areas identified in the vision statement. The six areas were defined as: membership, education, electronic communication, financial planning, professional liaisons, and grants and recognition. In 1995, as a result of the work of these groups, a NASIG 2000 Strategic Plan was released to the membership of NASIG.
The cumulative result of the six areas identified in the strategic plan is to define and affirm NASIG as an organization as well as to plot its future direction. NASIG plans to remain an organization of individual, rather than corporate or institutional, members so that each member may have opportunity to have a voice in the organization. To this end, the vision statement eschews the acceptance of corporate sponsorships, gifts, presentations, or exhibits yet welcomes the participation of individuals representing publishers and vendors as equal participants with librarians. Significant effort has been given to including members from non-English-speaking countries, most notably Spanish-speaking Mexican librarians though there is also concern with non-English-speakers in the Caribbean and Canada. The vision statement re-affirms the annual convention as the main educational forum of the organization though regional educational opportunities and electronic educational opportunities are also encouraged. Electronic communication was identified as an integral part not only of education but also of the infrastructure of NASIG itself by serving as, among other things, a repository for organizational documents and publications, and a means of conducting the business of the organization. Through its financial planning NASIG intends to continue to sponsor educational events which will be self-supporting thereby ensuring the financial stability of the organization. At the same time, this financial stability will ensure the continued implementation of the student grant program as well as professional recognition awards. Affiliations with other professional organizations concerned with serials will introduce new ideas, challenges, and solutions regarding serials to the membership at large. NASIG will continue to be run by its membership on a volunteer basis thus ensuring not only the participation of its membership in all aspects of the organization itself but also drawing upon the ideas, creativity, and expertise of those who are directly concerned with the world of serials.
In 2001, work began on developing the statement for the Strategic Plan/Vision 2015. The membership was surveyed from the Web site in September, 2002, and had a 45% response rate. This survey served as the core of the initial planning process. The NASIG Strategic Plan 2003 was presented in September of that year, and again describes six Strategic Directions for the organization: Stimulate diverse communication channels; Attract and strengthen involvement of diverse and broad-based constituencies; Re-invent programming in all areas: Implement a dynamic public relations program; Define options for using technology and employing support necessary to avoid volunteer burnout; and Generate funding to support the vision of the organization and remain fiscally sound.
Some recent concerns which were aired at the Town Hall meeting 2004 included strategies to ensure the continued financial stability of NASIG. These ranged from increasing annual dues and using educational opportunities as revenue-generating events to encouraging donations. The success of the vendor demo at the 2004 convention sparked discussion of other creative ways to involve publishers and vendors in NASIG and to allow members to sample new products and technologies. Expanding the scope of membership, especially to special or corporate librarians, was also a discussion point.
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